


One Step At a Time

by Ellsey



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cinderella Elements, Dousy Week 2020, F/M, Masquerade Ball, Sort Of, background Philinda, background fitzsimmons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellsey/pseuds/Ellsey
Summary: Daisy's friend Fitz is begging her to go to a masquerade ball with him, but lady's maid Daisy's not sure she'll fit in. When she's given permission to go however, a chance encounter may be the best thing that's ever happened to her.
Relationships: Leo Fitz & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 13
Kudos: 44





	One Step At a Time

**Author's Note:**

> Dousy Week day 2! I picked an alternate universe and combined it with my fall prompt "disguise." Honestly I thought this would be short and sweet then 3k+ words later I finally finished. That's how it goes sometimes.

“Daisy, you have to go with me.”

Daisy sighed. “Fitz, you know you’re my dear friend, but I’m not sure about this. I’m not even sure if Coulson and May will let me go.”

“Of course they will, I already asked them for you.”

“Fitz!”

Fitz had been begging Daisy to go to a masquerade ball for about a week now. He was dying to go because it was being thrown by the family of Lady Jemma Simmons. He had met the Lady Jemma when she had come into the shop where Fitz worked repairing watches. According to Fitz, she had been “charming, kind, and utterly brilliant.” Ever since then he had been trying to find any excuse to talk to Lady Jemma, and he was ecstatic that one had finally fallen into his hands.

In fact, Daisy had actually met Fitz in a similar way several months ago when she had brought in a watch of Coulson’s to be repaired. Daisy was a lady’s maid for Coulson’s wife, May, which was world’s better than her previous life of just trying to scrape by while living on the streets. May was exacting but never cruel. 

At any rate, Daisy and Fitz had become quick friends in the time after they had met, and it was great fun. That was, it was great fun until Fitz had met Lady Jemma. Now all he did was moon about, constantly trying to think of reasons to see Lady Jemma again.

Daisy did want to help her friend though, so she just sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll talk to May and see what she says.”

Fitz clapped his hands. “Perfect. Let me know as soon as you’ve settled things with her.” 

Daisy rushed home, knowing she needed to talk to May as soon as possible. She found May in her sitting room, writing a letter. As usual, she seemed to read Daisy’s mind. “If you’re coming to ask about the masquerade ball, then yes, I really did tell Fitz that you could go.”

“Are you sure? I would need a dress and the night off and I never want to bother you or Coulson…”

“It wouldn’t be a bother. And you know that Coulson views you as more of a daughter than a servant. We are happy that you have a chance like this.”

Daisy felt her eyes fill with tears. “Thank you so much May.”

The next week was spent in a rush of taking care of Daisy’s duties as May’s lady’s maid and getting things to wear to the ball. May even acted as a bit of a fairy godmother as it were, making sure that Daisy was prepared. Daisy found she was actually looking forward to the ball. She had never imagined a chance to go to something like this, and at least she’d have Fitz there for support. If she could drag him away from Lady Jemma.

May even gave her half a day off to get dressed. They spent time doing Daisy’s hair while May, apparently feeling uncharacteristically sentimental, told stories of balls past. Once Daisy was ready, she went downstairs to see Fitz was already there waiting for her.

“Wow, you look incredible,” Fitz said.

“You look very handsome yourself,” Daisy said with a smile. “Lady Jemma’s bound to confess her love for you by the end of the night.”

Coulson handed her into the carriage he insisted that Daisy and Fitz use. “Have a wonderful evening you two.”

“Thank you sir,” Fitz said. 

“Yes, thank you so much,” Daisy agreed. 

Coulson just smiled and told the driver to keep them safe. As they got closer and closer to the Lady’s house, Daisy could see her friend becoming increasingly agitated. She put her hand over his.

“Don’t worry, if past precedence is any indication, Lady Jemma will monopolize you all night, and you’ll have an amazing time together.”

“You really think so?” Fitz asked.

“I know so. If anything, I’m the one who will be trying to hide from everyone lest they all discover that a lady’s maid is in their midst.”

“You’re better than all of them you know.”

Daisy sighed. “Maybe. But that won’t stop them from being scandalized.”

“Maybe,” Fitz echoed. “But that doesn’t change facts.”

“You’re a good friend.”

“That I am,” Fitz nodded.

Walking into the ball was like walking into a different world entirely. There were throngs of people, all in their best dress, with a huge variety of masks. Some were quite plain, while others were more extravagant than anything Daisy had ever seen.

Daisy and Fitz approached the main ballroom, where a man was blocking the doorway. Past him they could see a swirling mass of people, dancing elegantly to the music. Daisy immediately wanted to run. There was no way she would fit in at a place like this. She should have known better. 

The man in the doorway asked for their names. 

“I’m Sir Fitz, and this is my cousin Lady…”

“Skye,” Daisy broke in. “Lady Skye.”

“Very well,” tha man said. Then he turned and waited for the song to end.

“Don’t you think you shouldn’t be lying about a title,” Daisy whispered into Fitz’s ear.

“I’m not lying,” he hissed back. “I have the rights to a title, but ever since my father abandoned Mum and me, I never use it.”

“What are you talking about?” Daisy demanded. “You work in a watchmaker's shop.”

“Work is probably an imprecise term. I volunteer. For fun. Keeps my mind sharp.”

“Does Lady Jemma know about this?”

“No.”

Before Daisy could do anything with this news, the man who had taken their names pounded the floor with a large stick.

“Sir Fitz, and his cousin, Lady Skye,” he intoned.

All eyes turned to them as they came in and bowed, then people seemed to return to their conversations. “Honestly, what’s the point of having a masquerade ball if you’re going to announce people anyway,” Daisy grumbled.

“Well, like you, people usually give false names at these things,” Fitz said. “I just wanted to make sure Jemma noticed my presence.”

“Guess it worked,” Daisy said, as she saw a masked person who had to be Lady Jemma walking towards them.

Fitz gave an elegant bow. “Lady Jemma,” he said.

“Oh, how did you know it was me?” she asked with a laugh.

“Your smile,” Fitz replied. “A smile like that couldn’t belong to anyone else.”

Daisy’s jaw nearly dropped. What had happened to the nervous, almost shy boy she had come with. Either the mask was making him bolder or his love for Lady Jemma was. Either way, Daisy was not interested in being a third wheel for the evening. She tapped Fitz on the shoulder.

“I’m going to go see what kind of delicious treats there are around here. Find me later?”

“Yes, of course,” Fitz said while still looking at Lady Jemma. “Stay out of trouble, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best.” Daisy gave Fitz a kiss on the cheek and then pushed her way towards a side room. Once there she sat down, unsure what to do with all the information she had been given. Fitz had a title? He did the repair work for fun? Did Daisy even know anything about him really?

“You look concerned. Are you alright?”

Daisy turned to see a man behind her. He had a very plain mask and appeared to be trying to melt into the background. “I’m fine. Just surprised. You on the other hand look like you’d rather be anywhere but here.”

The man cringed. “Is it that obvious? I’m just a bit uncomfortable in these large groups. Also, I try to avoid dancing whenever possible.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” He gave a small laugh. “There were several questionable statements in there.”

Daisy laughed as well. “That’s fair. Why do you feel uncomfortable in large groups?”

“May I?” he asked, motioning to the space next to Daisy on the bench. Daisy nodded her assent, and the man sat down. “I guess I’m just always noticing suspicious things. I was intelligence you know, in the military. I’m always trying to second guess everyone’s motives. Not a great way to make friends.”

“I would guess not. If it makes any difference I’m uncomfortable in this group too. But that’s mostly because I’m a lady’s maid with incredibly kind employers but who still doesn’t fit in here. Although unlike you, I’d love to dance if I weren’t so scared that would give up my identity very quickly.”

“Ah see, dancing scares me even more.”

“Why’s that?”

The man tapped one of his legs. It made a thumping sound. “This one’s fake,” he said nonchalantly. 

“What happened?” Daisy gasped at her own question. “I’m so sorry. That was incredibly inappropriate.”

He waved off her concerns. “No, no, that’s probably the number one question I get when meeting people. I had an unfortunate run-in with an explosive device during the war. I survived mostly intact, so I guess I can’t complain too much. But as a result I don’t exactly have people lining up to dance with me.”

“Well sounds like I’m the perfect dance partner. I don’t even know how to dance really, so I’ll have no idea if you’re any good anyway.” Daisy wasn’t sure what made her so bold, but she was sure that she wanted to dance with the man. Besides, it was not like she’d see him again after tonight anyway.

The man looked at her intently, as if sizing her up. “Maybe you’re right.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me Lady…?”

“Skye,” Daisy told him. “You obviously know I’m no lady, but I accept either way.” She put her hand in his. He pulled her to standing, then neatly tucked her hand onto his arm and escorted her onto the dance floor.

“I hope you don’t mind if I try to pick an out of the way place to dance. I still don’t want to attract too much attention.” He looked down at her. “Although I don’t suppose anyone will be paying much attention to me as long as you are around.”

Daisy was grateful the mask she had on was likely to hide the worst of her blushing. The man gently placed his arms around her, then began to twirl her about. Daisy was surprised. If he hadn’t told her about his leg, she never would have noticed. He was surprisingly elegant, with only the slightest hint of a limp. 

“So, Skye is not your real name I presume?”

“Ah, no, definitely not. But it would be breaking the time-honored masquerade rules to tell you my real name.”

He nodded. “That is very true. Any reason you picked that name?”

Daisy wasn’t sure how much to tell him, but she decided she’d likely never see him again, so what was the harm in being honest? “Before I was hired as a lady’s maid, I didn’t really have a home. I kind of just moved from place to place, never really fitting in. The one thing that was always constant was the sky. No matter where I was, the sky was always there. I found it comforting.” She could see that he was staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. “Kind of pathetic, I know.”

The man shook his head. “No, no, I thought it was beautiful. Just like you.”

Daisy spent the rest of the evening talking and dancing with this mysterious man. She hoped that Fitz was having as good an evening as she was, because truthfully this night had been magical. The man was smart and charming and funny, and he didn’t seem to shy away from Daisy. He had told her they were both outcasts in a way.

Later in the evening he begged off dancing anymore, saying his leg was getting sore, but he offered to get Daisy some refreshment. She readily agreed and sat to wait for him. She waited. And waited. And waited. The crowd was beginning to thin, and Daisy was beginning to get concerned about her mystery man when a servant approached her with a folded piece of paper.

“Lady Skye?”

When she nodded, he handed her the paper and bowed himself away. Daisy opened it to see a hastily penned note.

_ Dearest Lady Skye, _

_ I am so sorry to leave you so suddenly, but unfortunately some rather urgent business has come up which I must attend to. Please forgive me. Meeting you was certainly the highlight of my evening. I would love to call on you when I return (although when that I will I could not say). If this is agreeable to you as well, please leave your real name with the Lord of this estate. If not, then I will always cherish this memory. _

_ Yours, _

_ DS _

Daisy felt simultaneously massively disappointed and incredibly excited. He wanted to see her again! She found Lady Jemma and her father and explained the situation. Lady Jemma’s father seemed amused, but he agreed to share Daisy’s name if asked. In the meantime, the man’s absence would give her a chance to find out more about. Surely he wouldn’t be difficult to find information about?

She started with Lady Jemma, who was honestly useless. Fitz and she were now officially courting, and Lady Jemma had eyes for no one during the ball (or any time since then for that matter). Fitz was equally useless because he had no clue who Daisy’s mystery dance partner was and wasn’t sure who to ask to find out.

Daisy tried asking around herself. She even got so desperate as to talk to May. May looked at Daisy for a long moment before saying anything.

“I can look into him I suppose, although Phil would likely be a better choice to ask. But answer me this Daisy: what do you intend to do once you find him?”

This question struck Daisy. What did she intend to do?

“I don’t know. I guess I’d just like to talk to him again. See him in the daylight with no mask.”

May suddenly looked very sad. “But Daisy, do you really think someone in his position would really want to commit to someone in your position?”

“I don’t…” Daisy closed her eyes to try and hide the tears welling in them. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry if I seem cruel, I just want you to appreciate the reality of your situation.” She laid a hand on Daisy’s arm. “I’ll talk with Phil, and we will see if he can help you in any way.”

Daisy nodded her head. “Thank you.”

A few days later Daisy was summoned to Coulson’s office. She hadn’t been in there very many times, and her anxiety level was skyrocketing. What did he want to say to her?

“Sit down Daisy,” he said, waving to the char in front of his desk. When she had sat, he continued. “So, Melinda explained what was happening with you and your mystery dance partner.” He smiled at her. “I think it’s sweet. I’ve always had a soft spot for dancing. That’s how I met Melinda you know.” He shuffled some papers in front of him then looked at Daisy. “I am willing to ask around and see what information I can find. From what you’ve said, he shouldn’t be too hard to find. I do have one condition though.”

“What’s that?” Daisy asked anxiously.

Coulson took a deep breath, then let it out. “Melinda and I would like to adopt you.”

This wasn’t at all what Daisy was expecting. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I think if you talked to any other servants you’d realize you were more of a companion than anything to Melinda than anything.” Coulson laughed. “Both of us agree that you are just as much a daughter to us as any we could have born. We want to see you set up so that you can have the future you deserve.”

Tears were streaming down Daisy’s cheeks. “I...I don’t know what to say.”

“Take some time if you need to…”

“No,” Daisy interrupted. “I don’t need time. This is what all I ever wanted. To be part of a family.” She jumped up and ran to Coulson, enveloping him in a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

Even after becoming an official family member, Daisy’s day-to-day life didn’t change much. She continued to help May with whatever she needed, but just the knowledge that she was now family was enough for her. Daisy was happy in a way she couldn’t recall having been in a long time.

After almost two months, Daisy was beginning to wonder if her night at the masquerade ball had all been a dream. A mysterious man had swooped in and stood by her side for the entire night? Yes, it had to be a fantasy. Fitz and Jemma were betrothed now, and Jemma had since become a good friend. But neither of them could offer any assistance in this matter.

Coulson began to discuss Daisy’s future with her, which inevitably included meeting young men. Truthfully, Daisy didn’t want to have to deal with all this. Even if he was just a wisp of her imagination, her mystery man was the only one she was currently interested in unfortunately.

One day, after going into town on an errand for May, Daisy returned to find the woman in question pacing in an uncharacteristic way in the entryway. 

“There you are Daisy,” May said. She almost sounded...excited. She quickly took Daisy’s coat and hat from her, patting Daisy’s hair down quickly. “There, that will have to do. Phil requests your presence in the study. Immediately.” May smiled at her. “Don’t worry, it’s good.”

Daisy quickly walked toward the study, slowing her steps as soon as she was out of May’s eyeline. Daisy knew this could only mean one thing. Coulson had a potential suitor for her. Daisy’s heart sank. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this.

She pushed the door of the study open and stepped in, keeping her eyes cast on the ground. 

“Ah, there you are,” Coulson said. “I have someone I want you to meet. Daisy, this is Daniel Sousa.”

Daniel...Sousa...DS? Daisy looked up to see a man with dark hair and eyes smiling at her in a familiar way.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. Yes, that was definitely the voice of her mysterious dance partner.

“Sousa here was just telling me the most interesting story about a masquerade ball and a certain young lady he met there,” Coulson said with a sly smile.

“Was he now?”

“Yes,” Coulson said. “In fact, it sounded very familiar.” Coulson paused, then tilted his head to one side. “Oh dear, I think I hear my wife calling. I’m sorry but I really hate to keep her waiting. I’m afraid you’ll have to do with just Daisy’s company for a bit.”

“I’m sure that will be acceptable.” Sousa smiled at her again, and Daisy found herself wishing she had a mask on again. After Phil had left the room, Sousa stayed standing where he was. “It’s nice to see you again Daisy,” he said, with slight emphasis on her name.

“You know, you’re a very hard man to get information on,” Daisy heard herself saying. “I’ve been trying this entire time to track you down, but I didn’t get very far.”

“I try to keep a low profile, both on and off the dance floor.”

“Well, you do an excellent job.” Daisy paused. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never been in this situation before. I’m not entirely sure what to do.”

Sousa made a slight face. “Well, I supposed that depends on what the situation is.”

“I…” Daisy paused, wondering if she misunderstood Sousa’s intentions. “You...um...your letter...you asked if you could call on me,” she finished quietly.

“I did,” he said, nodding slowly. “If that’s acceptable for you.”

“Yes, it’s very acceptable,” Daisy said eagerly. “But...what do we do now?”

Sousa looked confused. “What do you want to do?”

Daisy could think of a hundred things she wanted to do with this man, many of them she was sure were inappropriate for a young woman to be thinking. She seized on the most innocent of the lot and hoped it would be good.

“Would you like to see our gardens?”

“That sounds wonderful.” He offered his arm to Daisy, and they began to walk together towards the gardens, talking about this and that as they went. Daisy reflected that she was going to have to thank Fitz for dragging to that ball. 

As if he could read her mind, Sousa said, “You know, I’m going to have to thank your friend Fitz for bringing you to that ball. It was quite serendipitous if you ask me.”

“It certainly was, and I will definitely introduce you to Fitz one day. And Jemma. They’re getting married now you know.”

“Are they? Well that’s good news,” Sousa said. “Maybe they should throw a ball to celebrate. I even know the perfect person to dance with.”

“Anyone I know?” Daisy asked, suppressing a laugh.

“Maybe. She’s smart, beautiful, and seems to like nature related names. Oh and I heard that she just got adopted into a family who is offering quite a dowry.”

Daisy cringed. “Did Coulson tell you that? Because I assure you I had nothing to do with that.”

“I think that was one of the first things he told me.” Daisy looked at him and saw that he was laughing. 

“I’m so sorry about that. He’s not used to having a daughter.”

“It’s fine,” Sousa said. “I appreciate that he was upfront about it. But if you don’t mind, there’s a few things I’d like to do first.”

“Oh? Such as?

“Well, dance with you properly for one. No darkness. No masks. Just us two enjoying ourselves.”

Daisy tilted her head. “That sounds lovely. Too bad there’s no music.”

“Who says we need any?” Sousa stopped and put Daisy into a proper dance hold. He began to move her around the garden, humming softly as they went. 

Daisy began to relax some as she danced with him. “I wish this could go on forever,” she said without thinking. 

Sousa was quiet for a moment, and Daisy was afraid that she had said too much. But then he said, “Maybe it can. It sounds like a great idea to me. But for now, why don’t we just take it one step at a time.”

“One step at a time,” Daisy agreed. That was fine with her. She had a very strong feeling that there would be many more dances together to come with her no-longer mysterious dance partner. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr @ellsey where I too hide behind the disguise of my screenname.


End file.
